Engine starter control



June 16,1942. D. P. KEARNEY 2,286,989

ENGINE STARTER CONTROL Filed May 23, 1940 4 in Q w INVENTOR.

TTORNEY.

Patented June 16, 1942 UNITED STATES vPATIENT OFFICE ENGINE STARTER CONTROL Daniel P. Kearney, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application May 23, 1940, Serial No. 336,787 6 Claims. (Cl. 290-38) The present invention relates to engine starter controls and more particularly to a manually operable control system incorporating means for providing a time delay between repeated actuations of the starting system in order to insure that the engine comes completely to rest before re-engagement of the starter gearing.

In starting systems in which the operator is located at a considerable distance from the engine to be started, it is common to employ a remote control for the starting circuit including a magnetic starting switch located near the engine and a push button control therefor convenient to the operator. In such installations, if the engine fires initially and then stops, the operator may open the push button switch and immediately reclose it, in which case the starter gearing may fail to re-engage or may engage during a back rock of the engine flywheel prior to coming to rest, thus subjecting the starting system to undesirable overloads,

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel engine starter control comprising manually operable controlling means and a device for interposing a predetermined time delay between operation of the manual control and the actuation of the starting system.

It is another object to provide such a device in which the time delay mechanism is effective regardless of careless or inadvertent improper manipulation of the manual control.

It is another object to provide such a device in which partial release of the push button is prevented from interrupting the cranking operation.

It is a further object to provide such a device in which the push button contacts after being closed by actuation ofthe manual control are maintained closed until the push button is returned approximately to its idle position.

It is another object to provide such a device in which the time delay mechanism is reset in operative condition immediately after the push button contacts are opened.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a semi-diagrammatic illustration of a starting system incorporating a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the parts in idle position;

Fig. 2 is a detail of the control contacts and the manually operable controlling means therefor, showing the parts in cranking position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts in cranking position but with the push button partially retracted; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of a second form of manual controlling means showing the parts in idle position.

In Fig. l of the drawing there is illustrated a starting circuit including a battery I grounded at 2 and connected by a lead 3 to a magnetic starting switch 4. Switch 4 is connected by a lead 5 to a starting motor SM which is grounded at 8 to complete the starting circuit. Starting switch 4 is arranged to be actuated by a solenoid I which is connected at one end to the battery lead 3 and at its other end by a lead 8 to a fixed contact 9. A contact II is pendulously mounted by means of an elastic reed l2 in position to cooperate with the fixed contact 9, the reed l2 being grounded as indicated at Hi to complete the control circuit.

The free end of the reed I2 has mounted thereon a bob H, and manually operable means are provided for engaging the bob to bend the reed back and normally separate contact I I from contact 9. .As here shown, this manual means comprises a compound lever including an arm I! mounted to swing on a fixed pivot 16 and having a, pin l1 adjacent its free end, which pin forms a Journal for one end of a second lever arm I I. The free end of the lever arm i8 is provided with a roller is which is adapted to engage the bob I 4 when the compound lever is straightened out as shown in Fig.1.

A fixed abutment 2| is provided for engaging the lever arm I5 to define its normal position. Abutment 2| is also arranged to engage the ad- Jacent end of the lever arm I8 as to bring the latter into alignment with the lever arm l5 when the parts are in normal position. An abutment 22 is provided on the end of lever arm ii to engage the lever arm l8 and limit the upward motiOn thereof to a position in alignment with lever arm l5.

Yielding means in the form of a spring 23 is provided for urging the lever arm l5 toward its normal position, and a lighter spring 24 anchored on the outer end of the lever arm l5 acts to swing the lever arm 18 downwardly to cause the compound lever to buckle when the lever is depressed as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Manually operable means for depressing the compound lever I 5, I8 is provided in the form of a push button plunger 25 which is slidably mounted in a bracket 26 which also supports the fixed abutment 2|. Plunger 25 is positioned to l5 so as to move said lever as shown in Figs. 2

and 3.

In operation, starting with the parts in the positions illustrated in Fig. 1, depression of the plunger by the operator causes the compound lever l5, [8 to move downwardly until the roller I9 passes over the hump 21 on the bob l4. During this movement, the engagement of the abutment 22 on the lever arm IS with the side of the lever arm l8 keeps the compound lever straightened out.

As soon as theroller l9 passes over the hump 21 of the bob, the spring 24 quickly moves the roller I9 out of engagement with the bob, this movement taking place as a snap action which sets the bob I 4 and reed l2 in vibration. The contact H is thus caused to vibrate against the contact 9 for a predetermined period of time during which the solenoid '1, due to its self-inductance, is not effectively energized. When contact ll comes to rest against contact 9, solenoid 1 causes closure of the starting switch whereby the starting motor SM is energized to crank the engine.

If, during the cranking operation, the operator should carelessly or inadvertently partially release the bush button plunger as illustrated in Fig. 3, it will be seen that due to the buckling of the compound lever I5, 18 the contacts 9, H are not opened and cranking is not interrupted. When the engine starts and the push button is completely released, the spring 23 moves the compound lever up until the inner end of the lever arm l8 engages the abutment 2|, whereupon the final movement of the lever arm I5 to its normal position causes the compound lever to be reset as shown in Fig. 1, in which position the roller l9 engages the bob M to hold contact II away from contact 9. Since the resetting of the compound lever into its straight position takes place with but a small amount of motion of the lever arm I5, it will be seen that the push button may be allowed to return substantially to its idle position before cranking will be interrupted and there is, therefore, no danger of inadvertent interruption thereof.

When the compound lever is thus reset, the roller l9 snaps over the hump 21 of the bob as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 3, This places the parts immediately in operative position for a re-start with time delay. It is therefore substantially impossible to interrupt cranking without resetting the time delay device.

In Fig. 4 a different form of compound lever is illustrated in which the lever arm I8 is provided with a flange 22' overlapping the lever arm l5 in order to limit upward swinging movement of the arm 18'. Abutment pin 2| is arranged to engage the flange 22' to limit upward swinging movement of the compound lever. Spring 24' is arranged to engage beneath the flange 22' to cause the lever to buckle when the roller l9 leaves the bob H.

The operation of this embodiment of the invention is the same as previously described.

Although but two embodiments of the invcn tion have been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that other embodiments are possible and various changes may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In an engine startencontrol, a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, one of which is pendulously mounted, means normally holding the pendulously mounted contact out of engagement with the other contact manually operable means for effecting the release of the pendulously mounted contact with a snap action so as to cause it to vibrate a predetermined time before coming to rest against the other contact, and means for resetting the holding means immediately prior to the return of the manual 1.: .-ans to idle position.

2. In an engine starter control, a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, one of which is pendulously mounted, a compound lever normally holding the pendulously mounted contact out of engagement with the other contact, and manually operable means for moving the compound lever to release the pendulously mounted contact, said lever being arranged to buckle as it releases the contact so as to set the contact in vibration.

3. In a remote control for engine starters, a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, means normally holding said contacts open, manually operable means for releasing said holding means, means for preventing effective closure of the contacts for a predetermined time after release of the holding means and means for resetting the holding means immediately prior to the return of the manual means to idle position.

4. In a remote control for engine starters,.a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, a compound lever normally holding said contacts open, manually operable means for releasing said holding lever, said lever being arranged to buckle and permit the contacts to close with a snap action, and means for preventing effective closure of the contacts for a predetermined time after being so released.

5. In a remote control for engine starters, a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, a compound lever normally holding said contacts open, manually operable means for releasing said holding lever, said lever being arranged to buckle and permit the contacts to close with a snap action, means for preventing effective closure of the contacts for a predetermined time after being so released, and an abutment adjacent the idle position of the lever for engaging and resetting the lever when it returns to idle position.

6. In a remote control for engine starters, a starting circuit including a battery, a starting motor and a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair of contacts, manually releasable means normally holding the contacts open, means preventing such closure of the contacts as to energize the starting switch for a predetermined tim after release thereof and means for resetting the holding means immediately prior to the return of the manual means to idle position.

DANIEL P. KEARNEY. 

